Soumi Goswami
The #Metoo movement that took on a sharp momentum in October 2018 in India keeps giving strength and power to millions. Many untold stories were heard and years of painstaking tales of abuse unearthed. It shook the entire Bollywood industry. From calling out on a ‘Bois Locker Room’ Whatsapp group to unraveling true faces and characters of some big names in B-town. Feminism strengthened.
Although, the situation of women in India remains the same. Crime against women is ever increasing. Rapes, molestation, and misconduct are as rampant as rain. There is another side of the #Metoo coin still overlooked.
Yes, as much as we wanted #Metoo, we need #Mentoo. We talk about women struggling in transports, homes, offices of bad touches, scary stares but men too are prone to everything that women go through. Because evil has no gender. A monster is a monster. And then comes toxic feminism.
Evil exists in our society in all forms. Men are not the only form of evil. Today our societies are evolved and communities are advanced. We are lucky to be born in a generation that accepts change. But there exists a section like a rotten apple in the basket that doesn’t want to learn new things. That wants to hold on to intolerable customs and knows only how to cause harm. That section is composed of men as well as women.
In 2013, Aurangabad man befriended a woman on Facebook. Few months into a casual online friendship, the woman started requesting his money. Without even meeting in reality, the man transferred her money. Thereafter on many occasions, the woman asked him for money. The man kept transferring until he realized that something was wrong. He finally refused and landed himself in a false accusation and a legal battle. The woman accused him of rape and despite having much evidence of the woman’s bluff, he was put behind bars. The case went on for years till he was acquitted by the court.
Merely a 14-year-old teen jumped to his death in Gurugram after he was tagged in a #Metoo post by a classmate. The incident occurred a few hours after the girl posted on her social media accusing the boy of molestation.
The Saravjeet Singh Vs Jasleen Kaur case is one of the most known cases. 4 years after the blasphemy, false accusation, public shaming, trauma, Saravjeet was given a clean chit in the case. So much for #Metoo!
Vishnu Tiwari served 20 years of rigorous imprisonment for a crime he never did. He was accused of rape and sent to jail by a woman in his village. He lost his family, friends, name, and all expectations from life. After the Allahabad court reconsidered the pieces of evidence in his case, he was found innocent and was released from jail.
While there are many more such cases of false accusations and toxic feminism. There are men too, fighting silent battles, losing jobs, getting falsely accused.
We are yet to uncover the truth, but the Zomato delivery guy’s news comes amid the social shaming wave. A case has already been filed against the woman. But the man has already lost most of his prized possessions. He has lost his job, dignity and faced trauma.
Let’s open our eyes and try to see what’s eating our society. It not just #Metoo, there is a need for #Mentoo.
